Fan Funded Forum

I mange EES and when I first started managing them in 2003 I wanted them to take over the world, well of course I still do. For a number of years I really thought they were going to, it was at the time that The Hives and The Datsuns blew up and all the major labels swarmed around EES as the Japanese Rock & Roll saviours. but EES were not picked up… Electric Eel Shock were not surprised, they had been through the mill with Japanese majors in a previous band. So we continued doing our own thing recording ourselves on low budgets, licensing to independents and touring all over the world…

We watched many of EES contemporaries get picked up, especially when the Darkness blew up and A&R folk were signing any one with a guitar, big hair and a swagger. We saw most of them chewed up, spat out and split up… Then in 2006 EES unfortunately found themselves in a deal with a record label who were trying to screw the band – So out of necessity we went to the fanbase and raised $20,000 in return for guestlist for life. We called the 100 faithful who each gave 100 the EES Samurai and they helped us get out of the restrictive record deal.

In 2008 EES raised $50,000 through SellaBand – the new album SUGOI INDEED released in Oct 2009 has been licensed to Universal in Japan, a Sony distributed label in Germany and several other deals around the world. With a sustainable plan in our hands we were able to negotiate some really artist friendly deals that give the band the support they need.

EES remain in control of their career and play large festivals and gigs around the world – this is what they love doing. They wouldn’t be doing this without the support of their fans and Fan Funding.

UPDATE: In Jan 2010 EES launched a campaign with Pledge Music to fund some interesting fan releases to celebrate 10 years of touring the world.

www.electriceelshock.com

Jill Sobule (born January 16, 1965 in Denver, Colorado) is an American singer-songwriter best known for the 1995 single “I Kissed a Girl”, and “Supermodel” from the soundtrack of the 1995 film Clueless. More often critically acclaimed than commercially successful Sobule has released seven studio albums of original songs, three EPs, and a greatest hits compilation album.

In mid-January 2008, Sobule launched a website, jillsnextrecord.com, which aimed to raise $75,000 through fan donations in order to produce, manufacture, distribute and promote an upcoming studio album. In exchange for their donations, Sobule offered her patrons an assortment of gifts with values commensurate with the amount of the donation. These gifts range from a free download of the album when its released ($10) to the opportunity to attend a recording session and sing on the record ($10,000). On March 8, 2008, 53 days after the public launch of the site, Sobule reached her target through donations from over 500 people in 44 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and eleven foreign countries[1]. The subsequent album, California Years, was released on April 14, 2009 on Sobule’s own label, Pinko Records.

www.jillsnextrecord.com

Enter Shikari formed in St. Albans, England in 2003 they are a post-hardcore band with a mix of trance. During 2003 and 2004, the band released three demo EPs that were available from their website and their considerable number of live gigs. Their extensive touring built a considerable fanbase and they were offered a spot on the Gibson/MySpace stage at 2006′s Download Festival. On November 4, 2006, they became only the second unsigned band to ever sell out London Astoria (the first being The Darkness). There followed a major record label frenzy to sign the band.

In late 2006, despite many huge offers from major labels, the band announced that they had decided to ‘go it alone’ on their own label, Ambush Reality, with assistance from their distributor Vital (PIAS).

The band’s debut album, Take to the Skies, was released on March 19, 2007 and on March 25 it reached number 4 in the UK Official Album Charts and went on to be certified Gold in the UK and sell 250,000 copies worldwide.

Enter Shikari have since licensed their releases to Tiny Evil Records n the USA, Which is an Interscope imprint and part of Universal. Ambush Reality have also signed a distribution deal with Warner Music in order to make the album Common Dreads and future releases, more accessible outside of the UK and also more widely advertised and promoted.

Second album Common Dreads was released through Ambush Reality on the 15th June 2009 and debuted at #16 on the UK top 40 album chart.

www.entershikari.com